Cleaner for the top comb of combing machines



N. HOWARD TOP COMB Aug. 25, 1936.

OF COMBING MACHINES CLEANER FOR THE 2 sheets sheet 1 Filed Aug. 50, 1934 Aug. 25, 1936. N HOWARD 2,052,531

CLEANER FOR-THE TOP COMB OF COMBING MACHINES Filed Aug. 30, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLEANER FOR THE TOP COMB F COMBING MACHINES Norman Howard, Andover, Mass., assignor to Atkinson, Haserick & (10., Boston, Mass, 2. voluntary association Application August 30, 1934, Serial No. 742,087

Claims.

jected, and especially one that will operate with the least possible wear upon the teeth of the comb.

, According to the present invention sets of cleaning blades are usedoperating from opposite sides of the comb. While the more common practice has been to attempt the cleaning of the comb by blades operating from but one side, attempts have, also, heretofore been made to clean the comb by a double set of blades operating from its opposite sides. In either case complete success was notachieved. While the complete successof the present invention has demonstrated that the cleaning operation can best be obtained by the use of a double set of blades, operating from the opposite sides of the comb, as the basic operating elements, as differentiated from cleaning blades operating from only one side, the use of blades operating from opposite sides of the combare but an incident to the successful accomplishment ,of the cleaning operation for the successful attainment of the present invention has demonstrated that matters of tension coupled with the precise relative position of the comb with relation to the cleaning blades duringsuccessivestages of operation are of paramount importance, not only for successfully effecting the cleaning operation but, also, for the purpose of preventing injury to the blades, and especially for preventing wear upon the teethof the comb which are more or less delicate in character.

The invention can best be seen and understood from'the accompanying drawings, such portions only of the combing machine being shown as are necessary for a proper understanding of the invention.

theteeth 2; i

comb com'prisinga plate to which are soldered 3 is the cleaner which is bracketed to the feed 4 of the comber.

Cleaner 3 comprises sets of blades 5 and 6, respectively, angularly arranged whereby the biting edges 1 and 8 thereof, respectively, will engage the opposite sides of the teeth of the comb during the combing operation. The blades of each set are each substantially square or rectangular in form and are made of relatively thin but highly tempered steel. The blades are borne by a rectangular frame 9 to which the top edge I2 in the blades and fastening into the side bars of the frame. Secured to the frame are brackets I3 having extension to connect with the feed 4 and provided with turned ends l4 bound to the under part 4 of the feed by means of bolt connections I5.

The blades 5 are backed by sectional plates l6 bound to the frame by the same fastenings as secure the blades 5. The sectional plates l6 act to reinforce and stiffen the blades 5 and prevent their easy bending.

The blades 6 are bent blades, each of the blades being provided with a lateral bend l1 forming a rib and by means of which the fore edge portion l8 of the blade, or that portion thereof lying between the bend l1 and the biting edge of the blade, is turned inwardly out of the plane of its rear edge portion l9 or that portion thereof lying between the bend l1 and the inner edge of the blade bound to the frame as aforesaid. The bend I! in the blade, acting to reinforce or strengthen it, lies well back of the biting edge 8 of the blade, preferably a little forward of the centre of the blade, but not so far back but that the fore edge portion of the blade, in an amount extending well back of its biting edge, will be substantially inflexible to bending upon an application of force to the biting edge tending to outwardly flex the blade by displacing this edge, the flexing of the blade, when occasioned by the application of a displacing force to the biting edge of the blade, being confined to that portion I9 of the blade lying between the bend I! in it and the bound inner edge portion of the blade. Consequently the blade will flex only to a relatively high degree of force, and, when the blade is tensioned by such flexing, the biting edge of the blade will exert a very high degree of resistance to any force tending to displace it. In other words, the blade 6 is so reinforced or stiffened that arrangement the biting edge 8 of the blades 6 will preferably engage the inner face of the blades 5 at a point inwardly removedfrom" the biting edge I of the blades 5. In other words, the blades 5 have extension beyond the. biting edge 8 of the blades 6. Preferably this extension is about one eighth of an inch. 7

Reference will now be made to the relative movements of the feed (which carries the cleaning blades and which accordingly have the same.

motion as the feed) andthat'of the top comb inthe normal operation'of' the combing machine. a

In the normal operation of the machine with the feed at the limit of its back and down movement, the tep comb' will then beat the'limit of its high es't'raised position. The" feed then begins to raise and the top comb to come- 'down. As the feed raisesto the limit of i-t'supward movement the a top comb will have come down to the limit of its downward movementi The feed will now begin tocome forward? The top-comb will also. move forward; their relative positions not-appreciably changing. As'thefeed reaches the limit of its forward movement the top comb will have come forward to the limit of its forward movement and has not raised. After completing its forward movement the feed begins to lower and go back while the top comb begins to raise. Thefeed then completes its down and backmovement, the comb at; the sametime movingup and' back. These movements, together with the difference in the relative "movements of the feed, to which the cleaningplates are secured; and the top comb,are availed of for" assisting in the cleaning operation,

and are obtained as follows in the operation of the machine (see Figs. 7 and 8);: v

The top'cio'ml'o is borne' by an arm 25. The feed rests uponthe cushion plate-zl (forming a part of thenipper not shown)'. Connecting'with the under part or section "4 i the feed to which part the cleaner is secured, as aforesaid, isan arm 22. Both the arms 20 and 22 are pivotally secured at points 23 'and' 2G, respectively, to the arm 25 of a lever 25 pivoted atthe point 21. In

. thisconnectibn it will be observed: that the arm 2B-,-bearing'--the topcombjis pivotally secured to the arm at a'point farther removed from the pivotal"poir 1-t -'or fulcrum' of the lever- 26' than is thearm 22-. This together with the angular form of the'arm 22- willenablea differential move-- ment te'be impartedtothe arms and 22 as the lever is-turned, both arms being moved simultaneously'in'the "same'directionbut with a dif{ ference' in their extent of movement, the arm 20 being moved farther than the arm In operative engagement; with the opposing arm 2J3 of the lever ZB is, the arm 29- of a lever 39 pivoted at 3!. .The arm has sliding engagement in its connection with the arm 28, the arm 2,9 ,being provided witha slidefl32 jwhich operateswithin a waves onthearm 28; The opposing arm 35 of theleverltdbears a. cambowl. 36 engaging a cam 3.7 on a shapes. The cam bowl 3.6 is held in normal engagement with the; peripheral edge of i the: cam .31 by means of a springp39s connecting accordingly the: cleaning" blades carriedby the and, almost parallel with thebladesi of the'cleanwith the arm 35 through a connecting link 40. As the cam 3'! is rotated in the operation of the machine both the feed, with attached cleaner,.

and the top comb will be moved alternately f0rward and back with relative change in their extent of movement, respectively, and with dwell at V the limitsof Q Ward and ,reversemovement.

The top combiis moved vertically with alternate up .and down movements in the following manner: Arranged beneath the arm 20 hearing the topcomb is the extended arm of a lever Mipivoted at the pointy-41. The arm 29 has slidable engagement with the arm 35 by means of a roller 4.8 on thearm 20, the roller being held in normal contact with the arm% by means of a spring 49 connected to thearm 20. The opposing arm 50 of the lever 46 bears upon its end a cam bowl 5! which has engagement with the peripheral edge of a cam 52 fixed to the shaft 38; With the parts thus arrangedthe top comb, borne by the arm ZU, 20 5 will be moved vertically alternately upward and dow nward'as the'cam 52 is turned with'dwe ll" a, the limits of theup and down movement The feed, and especially the bottom part or section 4 thereof, to wbich"the cleaner-3 is secured-is? moved alternately up and down as follows; As previously described the feed rests upon the cushion plate 21' of the 'nipp'er mechanism.

This plate is-borne by the' arm 54 of a lever 55 a pivoted at the'point 56 The opposing-operating arm 5-lof thi-s 1'ever pivotall-y connects-with-alink connection 5'8 pivoted 'a't the point 59 to a-l'ever' 60 fulcrumed'on theshaft-BI andfbearing a cam.

bow-l 62 which engages the peripheral ed'geofa cam 63; n the shaft 33; Asfthe cam 63 is turnedthe cushion plate 2]" and with it the feed and cleanerwill' be movedvertically upand 'down' with dwell at the extremes of movement,-and especially when thecushion 'platef'is" in its-"extrei'ne"'down" pgs itionf 5 1; ,1? a, The f'orm and arrangements of the various cams and connectingparts justides'cribed operate simultaneouslyduring the operation fof the ma'chine'in such proper timed rela'tions'hip as-will} impart to a the top comb and cleaner'thes'movements pre viously referredto'; In this' connection 'it will be understood that the-illustrations 'of these mecha nisms 'and d'escription 1 thereof is diagrammatic;

forming asthey doin themselves nopart oftha a present invention although incidental to its 2.0- 5

complishment. In the machine the various parts constituting these mechanisms are provided with: votherfeatures, not shown, especially those per-- mitti-ng: of their adjustment asis necessary in a v machine of thisukindiall of which is. well known 5' j i to those skilled in the art. 1 3 3 V ;.The normalarrangement of thecleaning blades V V and; the. topj'comb is such that whenthe'feed is at the; limit of itsxback'a'nd down'movement,'and

feed at the limit of their down movement, .thetop comb, then at; the limit of its highest raisdposition, willirlie, .within the housing formed J by: the cleaning blades in a position relativelyrlosetoerwith the teeth'of the ,comb raised well above the biting'edgesgof the blades, all'subst'antially as shown in Fig. 3. The feed and cleaning blades; borne by it will now begin to;raise and -the;top

comb to. come down, thisrelativelup andv down 7 0" movement-of the respective parts taking :{place:

before any appreciable movement ina transverse direction; In consequencethe. teethv of the comb V i and adjacent portion of the 7 comb to which. the

teeth are soldered will 'pass throughthe; apexflt formed bythe blades, the parts'then assuming a position substantially as shown in Fig. 4. The teeth will passthrough the blades easily, there being: .no undue tensioning of the bladesifany, their inclination to the opposite sides of the teeth, respectively, permitting of an easy passage of the teeth between and beyond their biting edges. The feed will now begin to move forward carrying with it the .cleaning blades. The top comb will also move forward, there then occurring some slight change, in the relative positions of the top comb and, cleaner blades (see Fig. 5). 'The teeth of; the comb however are'still protruding. As the feed reaches the limit 'of its forward movement and the top comb has moved forward to the limit of its forward movement, the feed and cleaner blades borne by it will begin to lower and go back while the top comb begins to raise. It is at this time,-owing to the drawing apart or separation of thecleaner blades and the top comb, that the cleaning operation takes place, the relative position of the cleaner blades and top comb then being substantially as shown in Fig. 6. There it wi1l ,be seen that the top comb has attained a changed position, with relation to the cleaner blades from its initial position first referred to, and -thecomb has moved away from the blades 5 and lies near to and approximately parallel with the blades 6 of the cleaner. This change in the relative position of the comb with relation to the 7 blades of the cleaner has the effect, with the teeth of the comb then protruding beyond the biting edges of the blades, of tensioning the blades, the comb fulcruming on the biting edge I of the cleaner blades 5 and acting as a lever to displace the blades 6 with relation to the blades 5 and thereby flex and tension the blades 6. In fact both sets of blades are then tensioned, the effect however being more appreciable with relation to the blades '6. It is at this time that the comb and cleaning blades draw apart, the feed carrying the blades moving down to go back to its initial down position, and the comb moving up to go back to its initial position first referred to.

As the cleaning blades and comb draw apart for effecting the cleaning operation all the blades, and especially the blades 6, will be more or less tensioned. The blades 5 highly resistant to displacement, will engage the teeth of the comb at an angle best adapted for stripping material from the teeth without rasping the teeth. At the same time the blades 6 working on the other side of the teeth and tensioned as aforesaid, will engage the teeth at an angle substantially like the angle of feet.

the blades 5 or with an angularity best adapted for cleaning the teeth but without a rasping ef- The major cleaning operation will come upon the blades 6 and the biting edge or edges of these blades will be almost fixedly maintained as the teeth of the comb draws by them, owing to the then tensioned condition of the blades and the fact that those portions of the blades lying adjacent to their biting edges are substantially inflexible owing to the bends ll in the blades. On account of these bends the tensioning of the blades 6 will be occasioned by bending or flexing those portions of the blades lying between the flaends l1 and the bound edges of the blades. These portions are highly resistant to bending bending 'of the blades 6 must comeupon these same, localized parts of the blades with the effect thatdisplacement of the blades by matter upon the'teeth'is practically impossible and the teeth are'effectively cleaned.

I claim: 1; A cleaner for the top comb of combing machines comprising sets of blades angularly arranged and presenting biting edges adapted to engage the opposite sides of the teeth of the comb, a framreto which the inner edge portions of said respective sets of blades are secured, sectional plates fixed to said frame and backing one of said sets of blades for stiffening them whereby said blades will be resistant to application of force at the biting edges thereof tending to flex them, the other of said sets of blades being angularly bent whereby they are made highly resistant to flexure on application of force at the biting edges thereof tending to flex them.

2. In a combing machine the combination comprising a top comb, a feed, a cleaner for the top comb comprising blades angularly arranged and presenting biting edges adapted to engage the opposite sides of the teeth of the comb during the operation of the machine, a frame to which the inner edge portions of the respective bladesare secured, one of said blades being angularly bent whereby flexure thereof will be substantially confined to the portion .of the blade lying between the bend therein and the portion thereof fixed to said frame on displacement of the biting edge thereof away from the other of said blades, said other blade being substantially inflexible and of longer projection than the bent blade, means for securing said frame to the feed to be movable therewith, and mechanism for operating said top comb and feed respectively whereby the teeth of the comb will pass from out of the housing formed by said blades between the biting edges thereof when the comb lies substantially adjacent said longer blade, thence the comb move with relation to said blades into a position substantially adjacent said bent blade whereby the teeth will fulcrum on the biting edge of the longer blade and thereby the teeth will operate to flex the bent blade in the portion thereof lying between the bend therein and the portion thereof fixed to said frame, and the comb afterwards withdraw into said housing from between the biting edges .of the respective blades when said bent blade is flexed as aforesaid.

3. A cleaner for the top comb of combing machines comprising blades angularly arranged and presenting biting edges adapted to engage the opposite sides of the teeth of the comb in the operation of the machine, a frame to which the inner edge portions .of said blades are secured, one of said blades being angularly bent whereby flexure thereof will be substantially confined to the portion of the blade lying between the bend therein and the portion thereof fixed to said frame on displacement of the biting .edge thereof away from the other .of said blades, said other blade being substantially inflexible and of longer projection than the bent blade, whereby the teeth of the comb when protruding through the biting edges of the respective blades will in the operation of the machine fulcrum on the biting edge of the longer projecting blade and thereupon operate as a lever to flex the bent blade.

4. A cleaner for the top comb of combing machines comprising sets of blades angularly arranged and presenting biting edges adapted to engage the opposite sides of the teeth of the comb in the operation of the machine, a frame to which the .inneredge portions of saidrrespective sets of: blades are secured, the blades of one of. said sets of blades being. angularly bent whereby fiexure thereof will be substantially confined to the portions of the blades lying between the bends; therein and the portions thereof fixed to said frame on displacement of the biting edges thereof away from said other setof blades, the blades of said other set of. blades being sub-stamtiall y inflexible and longerthan the blades of thebent set" of blades whereby the teeth of the comb when protru'ding through the biting edges: of the respective sets'of blades will in the opera tion of the machine fulcrum on the biting edges 7 of the longer projecting set of blades and therelever to flex the bent set of upon operate as a blades. 7

5."In a combing machine the combination comprising a top comb, a feed, a cleaner for the top comb including sets of blades angularly arranged and presenting biting edges adapted to engage the opposite sides of. the teeth Of the comb during the operation of the machine, a frame to which the inner edge portions of the respective sets of blades are secured, one setof blades being angularly bent whereby flexure thereof will be 'ly,'whereb-y in the operation of the machine the substantially confined to the portion thereof lying between the bend therein and the portion." thereof fixed to said frame on displacement; of the biting edge thereof away from said other set of blades, said other set of'blades being sub- 5 stantially inflexible and longer than the'bentset of. bladesQmeans. for securingsaid' frame to said feed to be movable therewith, and. mechanism for operating the said top comb and feed, respectiveteethof the comb will, whenithecomb is lying substantially adjacent the longer projecting set of blades, pass from out of the housing formed" by said sets of blades between the biting edges thereof to occupy an engaging position, thencethe comb fulcruming on the biting edge of the longer set of blades will turn with relation to said sets of. blades into a position substantially 1 adjacent the bent set of blades and thereby the comb will operate to flex the bent set 'of blades,

and the comb, then occupying a position sub 'stanti'ally adjacent the bent set of blades and when said bent set ofblades a're flexed as aforesaid, will withdraw between the'bi-ting edges of the respective sets of blades back into said housing. 'E g so HOWARD; 5 

